ABC-7’s Sam Harasimowicz challenged to mini golf against world-ranked golfer
EL PASO, Texas, (KVIA) -- ABC-7's Sam Harasimowicz participated in Call Me ABLE's first annual Adaptive Golf Media Challenge, at Butterfield Trail Golf Course.
Local media was invited to attend to play against one of the greatest, the World Ranked One Handed Lady Golfer Gianna Rojas.
The challenge included a mini adaptive golf clinic. At the end of the clinic, attendees tested their skills by playing a one-hole against Rojas. Rojas was born without fingers on her left hand, something she was bullied for.
"I was kind of a rough childhood being a visibly different in an era where we weren't as socially able to discuss these things as we are today," said Gianna Rojas the World Ranked One Handed Lady Golfer.
Rojas says she was treated as an outcast suffering bullying constantly.
"I was. I was beat up. I was picked on. I was bullied. I got locked in a locker for three and a half hours in middle school once. I mean, terrifying. And every time those bullies took a piece of my heart when they did that," said Rojas.
Later in life Rojas found her ability in golf.
"And you know, something that stuck with me is not, can I play golf?, But how can I do that," said Rojas.
She says the game gave her a purpose and identity.
"So for me, golf became this identity. Just as any other golfer identifies as a golfer, I'm a golfer first. I just happened to have this, that or the other," said Rojas.
The challenge was done in good fun to bring perspective to the growing movement of adaptive golf. According to Inside Golf, an estimated 57 million people in the United States are living with some form of physical or cognitive challenge of those nearly 5.7 million of them play golf.
"Well, for me, thats it really. We're just using golf as the conduit to get to that mindset, the mindset of not questioning, because I chose to ask, how can I not," said Rojas, "You're giving these children that normally aren't included in baseball, are not included in in soccer practice, or you're giving them a resource for them to be able to build their own self-esteem and their own self-confidence and get past the boundaries that are laid out in front of them."
The First Annual Call Me ABLE Take the Challenge Golf Tournament featuring Gianna Rojas will be held on October 9th, “World Inclusion Day”. With proceeds from the tournament benefiting an Adaptive Clinic for children with cognitive or physical disabilities.
